AT&T's Wireless Pricing Shift Will Test Behavior

AT&T's shift toward charging wireless subscribers based on the amount of data they use is expected to be an important test of consumer behavior in the technology industry's fastest-growing arena.

In announcing its decision to stop selling unlimited Internet data plans, AT&T, the No. 2 U.S. wireless carrier by subscribers, said the new policy could lower prices for most users of mobile devices and encourage them to make wider use of mobile Internet services. But developers of mobile-device software worry that the monthly usage limits in AT&T's new plans could prompt consumers to fret about exceeding their data allotments each time they consider downloading a new game or firing up an application. Such hesitance could dim the growth prospects of the wireless-application market just as it is getting off the ground.